


The First Step

by secretly_a_frog



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Highschool AU, Teen AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:35:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secretly_a_frog/pseuds/secretly_a_frog
Summary: Virgil White is moving. At sixteen, his views about moving to a new place are pessimistic at best. That changes, however, when he and his twin brother, Damien, somehow find themselves taken into a group of the most popular students in school. Virgil and Damien learn to navigate romance, jobs, popularity, and everything else that comes with being a teenager.





	1. Chapter 1

Virgil was in the family car, headed to a destination he never wanted to go back to. His head was rested on the window, the vibrations from the car’s movement making his breath shaky, and his headphones were fully turned up. You see, Virgil had moved away from Tombstone, Arizona when he was around three, in his opinion, a perfect time to move away. One wouldn’t have too many close friends at that point, so there would be little to nothing to move away from. New schools are easy to adjust to when you’re young and aren’t learning anything but the alphabet and basic addition.

So, after moving away from Tombstone, he had spent the majority of his life in Silverton, Colorado. He liked it there. He had developed there, he had all his friends there, and he knew the school. He wasn’t popular, but people knew him and liked him. But now, after all his work to bring up his social status and to be accepted, Virgil was moving back to Tombstone at the age of sixteen. Unlike three, Virgil thought moving at sixteen was absolutely terrifying. How was he supposed to make friends in a school where everyone already had their cliques and friend groups? How would he become anything more than the new kid when that was all he was?

He did know that it probably wouldn’t be as bad as he was hyping it up to be. However, that didn’t stop him from worrying. It never had before, and it wouldn’t now.

“Virgil!” Virgil slid his headphones off his ears at the sound of his mother’s voice. “You finally listening?” She asked.

“Yeah, Mom,” He replied in his usual monotone drawl. “What is it? I was almost asleep,”

“Oh, sorry to wake you, Sweetie. I just wanted to ask what color you were thinking of painting your room. Dami said he wants yellow, but I don’t think I’ll let him. He already gets too little sleep as it is,” Virgil had perked up. He got to paint his room? There were too many options! He decided he’d look at his posters and see what color would match them all the best. His mom had laughed and commented on how he had always had an eye for colors. He smiled and laid his head back on the window, donning his headphones once more. With the prospect of decorating his room, he had become slightly less upset about moving. He quickly slid into sleep.

 

Vigil woke up to his twin brother, Damien, shaking him. 

“Hey, Peasant, wake up! We’re here!” Virgil groggily opened his eyes, sitting up and stretching as much as he could in the car. He pushed his brother out of the car before climbing over the seats. 

“Hello again, Tombstone, I didn’t miss you,” Virgil said, earning a quiet giggle from Damien. They all unloaded their things from the car and brought them inside. 

“So, do you guys wanna choose your rooms?” Their mother asked when they were all standing in the entryway. Damien and Virgil looked at each other. They had never had separate rooms before. Being twins when they were younger they wanted to be together all the time, and when they were growing up they never moved apart because it was too much work to redecorate a whole room. 

They both sprinted for the stairs, their mom laughing behind them. Damien got up the stairs first, much to Virgil’s dismay, but Virgil managed to push Damien out of the way. He looked quickly into each room to see which was bigger. Running into the one he had chosen, he yelled.

“I CALL DIBS, DEE!” 

“Noooo, my poor big room is going to be covered in angst posters! How could you do this to such a beautiful abode?” Damien said, fake tears being forced to spring into his eyes. Virgil laughed and pushed Damien into the room he would be sleeping in. 

“Don’t worry, V, I know you’ll miss me. I’ll make you a bed out of blankets on the floor in case you wanna sleep in here with your favorite oldest twin,” Damien said with mock concern. Virgil snorted and, with a “you wish”, ran down the stairs to grab his bags. He ended up sleeping on Damien’s blanketed floor that night.

 

Now it was time for the part of the move that had Virgil the most worried. School. Virgil was not a social person. In his old school he had been the same, though it was easier to talk to people because they all knew who was who. He wouldn’t know anyone. He was too young when he moved away. Luckily, that meant no one would remember him either, though it also meant he would be a complete stranger. Him and Damien had, thank God, gotten similar schedules. All that was different was that Damien had math while Virgil had science and vice versa. 

The morning of Virgil’s first day as a sophomore at his new school arrived. He woke up extra early to try to pick an outfit that would draw little to no attention to him, though he knew if he was hanging out with Dee, that would be almost impossible. He chose a black plaid hoodie, a plain black shirt, black jeans, and black and white converse. Maybe he really was as emo as Damien always said he was. 

He entered the bathroom and quickly did what he had to do. He brushed his teeth and hair, splashed water in his face, and quickly applied a very thin amount of eyeliner around the corners of his eyes. He wasn’t brave enough to go all out with the makeup yet, but maybe when he was a bit better acquainted with the school he would. He hurried into Damien’s room and was shocked to see him still sleeping. He shook him awake and gestured to the time. They had a half hour until they had to go. Dee sat up in bed, stretching and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“How late were you up last night?” Virgil asked. He always worried about his brother’s well being. He almost never got a good amount of sleep. Virgil didn’t exactly get the recommended amount either, but Damien was way worse.

“Eh… I don’t remember. Too late, though, I’m tired. Lucky for you, however, I’m a genius and chose my outfit last night,” Dee said, sleep still obvious in his tone. He strolled over to his closet and pulled out what he was planning on wearing. Virgil was surprised. It wasn’t as bad as he was expecting. His brother was holding a pair of black jeans, a yellow leather jacket, and a black shirt with an umbreon from Pokemon on it. On the floor was a pair of yellow converse. 

“Contrary to your gloomy style, I like a bit of color, as I’m sure you know, dear brother. I decided I’d ease this school into my… eccentric tastes,” Virgil thanked him and left Dee to get dressed. Walking down the stairs, he noticed that his mother had made pancakes. He smiled. The smell of the pancakes reminded him of his home in Silverton. His mom had always made pancakes on mornings before special events. His mom caught sight of him from the kitchen and made her way over. 

“Oh, you look so handsome!” She said, brushing his hair away from his face, “When Dami is ready remind me to take a picture of you two!” Virgil nodded. He sat at the table and pushed a pancake onto his plate.

“Thanks for making these, Mom, definitely makes me a bit less on edge.”

“Oh, duh, a good breakfast is essential to a good first impression,” She smiled at her son just as Damien descended the stairs and sat beside Virgil. Their mother cooed at him and told them to immediately stand up so she could get a picture. They stood next to each other and smiled their best fake smiles before quickly sitting and finishing their food. The two of them hurried out the door, quickly walking to school in the five minutes they had before the bell rang.

And then they were there. They stood outside the school, waiting for the majority of the students to get inside so as not to get caught up in the mass of bodies. 

“You ready, V?” Damien asked. Virgil smiled at the hint of real worry in his brother’s voice. He looked up at him with a reassuring smile.

“It’s just a new school, Dami, it’s not that big of a deal,” and they walked into the building together. 

Immediately they were caught up in the flow of people. Their lockers were in separate areas, so they had to part ways early on in their journey. Miraculously, they managed to both find their lockers with minimal mishaps. Virgil quickly pulled his binder and books out of his back and shoved it into his locker. He glanced at his schedule and quickly hurried to his first class, reading. 

When he got to the classroom, Damien was already there. He hurriedly sat down beside his brother and leaned over to talk to him before the bell rang. 

“You had anything interesting happen yet?” Virgil asked. Damien shook his head.

“Though there are quite a few cute guys around, you seen any?” Damien asked, winking. Virgil shoved him lightly and smiled, just as the bell rang and class started. Virgil noticed that a few groups of people were whispering and glancing at him and Damien. He looked down. 

The teacher spoke. “Good morning, class. I see some of you have noticed that we have a couple of new students,” she shot a glare at a few of the whispering groups. “Of course, I expect everyone to treat them well and to be on their best behaviour. If you two could introduce yourselves now, that would be great,” She said the last bit with a softer voice. 

Damien stood up and pulled Virgil to his feet. 

“Hey, I’m Damien White,” Some of the students waved or said hello.

“Virgil White,” Virgil said hesitantly. There were, again, waves and hellos. There were also some audible whispers about the fact that they were twins. The two sat back down and the teacher quieted the class. From there, the majority of the period went smoothly. That is, until the teacher said they were going to be doing a group project. Virgil groaned. This always happened. At least he was in the same class as Damien.

Or not. Because right as that thought crossed his mind, the teacher announced that she would be picking partners.Virgil glanced over at Damien, who looked wholey unconcerned. Damien always was a lot more outgoing than Virgil. That made them a good pair, but unfortunately that was out of the question now. All Virgil could do was hope his partner did their work and wasn’t annoying. The teacher started listing off partners. Virgil didn’t listen until he heard Damien’s name.

“Damien, you partner with Logan,” Virgil noticed Damien looking around until he noticed a boy give him a small wave. That must be Logan. Then Virgil’s own name was called.

“Virgil and Roman,” Virgil glanced around until he saw who he was looking for. Who he assumed was Roman was waving at him from across the room. After seeing that he had gotten Virgil’s attention, he turned back to his friends and whispered something before facing the front again. Virgil already had a feeling this guy was going to be a lot. 

Once the teacher was done partnering everyone up, they got into their groups. Damien caught Virgil before going to his partner and whispered “See? Cute guys.” Once more, Virgil shoved him gently before making his way over to Roman.

“Hey, Virgil!” Roman said, a smile on his face. Virgil waved. This guy’s voice was louder than Virgil had expected. “So, you and Damien are twins?” Virgil nodded. Roman let out a huff that sounded like a mix between a sigh and a laugh. What a weird noise. “Not too talkative? That’s fine, I can do the talking when we present, if you want,” Virgil looked up at Roman, confused.

“Thanks… that’d be really cool,” Roman smiled.

“Oh yeah, I get it. I’ve had a lot of friends like that. A prince always helps those in need!” That was a little dramatic, Virgil thought, but he still really appreciated Roman’s offer. Maybe he wasn’t as annoying as Virgil thought he would be. Once the end of class came, Virgil was surprised by how well it had gone. Roman waved goodbye to him and rejoined his group of friends and Virgil met back up with Damien. They went through their morning classes without any trouble. 

When the bell rang and Virgil’s science period ended, it was time for lunch.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Damien are introduced to The Gang™ and Damien grows a little attached to someone.

Virgil and Damien walked into the cafeteria together, looking out at the vast expanse of students. 

“Well, this isn’t intimidating at all,” Virgil said, glancing up at his brother. “Inform me of how the hell we’re expected to find a table to sit at, dear brother,”

“Easy, all we have to do is-” Before Damien could even finish his sentence, he was interrupted by someone, a boy with curly, mousy brown hair and thick-rimmed glasses. 

“Hey! I was sent by the council to ask if you wanted to sit with us at lunch! Logan and Roman said you guys would probably need somewhere to sit,” The boy’s demeanor was friendly and open, and his voice was playful.

“The… council?” Virgil asked. The boy quickly filled them in on the details of their friend group. They jokingly called themselves a council. They were reportedly one of the most tight-knit and well-known groups in school, each of them with a different talent that made them popular among their peers. 

“Oh yeah, and I’m Patton. I forgot to say,” The boy, Patton, giggled, supposedly at his own forgetfulness. Of course, Damien and Virgil went willingly with them. An opportunity to get in with the most popular kids at school would be stupid to pass up, especially when it fell into their laps so seamlessly. And so, they made their way across the cafeteria, Patton leading them, towards a table with four people already seated. Patton plopped down ungracefully in the seat next to someone Virgil didn’t recognize, leaving two open chairs for Virgil and Damien. Virgil sat down cautiously, followed by Damien. 

“Okay, everyone! Our potential new recruits have arrived!” Patton said, causing the small side conversations between those seated at the table to quiet down. “Let’s do some introductions, hmm?

“I’m Patton North. People around here know my for my art! I paint and draw, and I guess I do basically everything you think of when you think of art. I do commissions and I have a pretty big following on social media,” 

The boy beside Patton spoke up next. “Name’s Remy,” he looked up at Patton, who signalled for him to elaborate, “People know me for my makeup and hair. I get people looking good and fresh for parties. They pay me, so it’s pretty lit,” Virgil noticed his dark eyes and the sunglasses on his head. His tone was dominant, yet seemed to have a joking note hidden somewhere. The most noticeable thing about him was the smell of coffee that seemed to be coming from him. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was definitely there. 

Next was Roman. He spoke with authority and confidence, and he swept his soft, fluffy bangs out of his eyes often. “My name is Roman Delaney. I act, sing, and dance. Not to be cocky, but I almost always get the lead roles in the school plays, and I also participate in community theater. Once I even got a callback for an Alfred Hitchcoppalucas film, but I couldn’t go. I was so upset,”

“Oh yeah, he called me on the phone, crying about how unreasonable everyone in his life was. It was all very dramatic, though I suppose I get why,” Whoever was next to Roman spoke up. Roman nodded, huffing and signalling for the boy who had just spoken up to go. He didn’t want to relive the memory, according to himself. 

“Well, I’m Emile Picani. I’m basically the emotional support in this group. I don’t have a special talent, perse, but I’m always here if something goes wrong. So keep in mind, if you join the council, you can always come to me with your worries,” Virgil’s first thought was that Emile had a very calming voice. He could see how it would be comforting to go to him with problems. He decided to remember that. Next up was Logan. Virgil sensed Damien grow a little more attentive at this.

“Hello Virgil, Damien. My name is Logan Smith. I’m not a fan of using the word “popular” to describe myself, but I’m known for my involvement in almost every academic field in school. I’m in all AP classes and if I continue on the route I’m on now, I may have the opportunity to get a scholarship, which I would then use to try to get into an ivy league college. I hope that didn’t sound too pretentious, I try not to be uptight,” Virgil was a little shocked for a few seconds at what could only be described as the density of that sentence. Damien, however, was nodding attentively. Virgil knew his brother, and his brother always developed feelings for people way too quickly. He’d have to talk to him about that.  
He looked around and realized that everyone had introduced themselves except him and Damien. Patton was looking at them expectantly. Virgil felt his nerves growing at the thought of talking about himself- he had always hated introductions. Thankfully, Damien stood before he had to attempt a confident voice.

“Hey, I’m Virgil and this is my twin brother Damien,” Virgil sighed. Why did he always have to do this? Damien was obsessed with doing the whole switching names thing, but Virgil hated it. He decided to just speak up.

“I’m sorry, my brother is being… himself. I’m Virgil and he’s Damien. A rule of thumb is that if he tells you he’s one name, call him the other. He loves switching our names,” Patton was giggling and Remy was smiling with something like approval at Damien. Virgil had always found Damien annoyingly charismatic, to the point where Virgil was always overshadowed. 

“I’ve been caught,” Damien said, a smile playing on his lips, “Though I do prefer to be called either Dee or Dami, if you will,” 

“Well, Dee and Virgil, welcome to the table! Do you two have any hobbies or talents? It’d be interesting to know! Don’t feel pressured, though,” Something about Patton’s voice made Virgil more confident, and he could tell Damien was feeling the same way.

“Actually, yes! Virgil is amazing at sewing. He sews loads of clothes. I like to design them, too. We’re kind of like a fashion duo,” That was only partially true. While Virgil did sew garments and Damien did design them, they didn’t do it all that often. Virgil went with it, though, because it would be embarrassing to be on the spot. 

“That is so cool! You guys should make all our outfits for the prom!” Roman piped up. Virgil winced inwardly, but Damien seemed to grow twice his size in excitement. He quickly agreed to it, even with Virgil squeezing his hand under the table and shooting him glares.

Logan spoke up, making Virgil jump slightly. “Virgil, you seem hesitant. Don’t let Roman or your brother pressure you into doing something you don’t want to,” This seemed to get Damien a little bit worried. He quickly tried to clear the air.

“Oh, I’m not trying to do that! Virgil’s just a little nervous in big groups of people,” that much was true, and admittedly Virgil did think it could be fun to be part of something like that. So he spoke up quietly.

“No, it’s fine. It actually sounds kind of fun to make something for other people,” The whole table seemed excited, and even Logan smiled slightly. Virgil had to admit, having people anticipate something he could do was quite validating. It made him smile to see that he made everyone else smile.

After conversation, eating, and more conversation, the bell to end lunch finally rang. Virgil and Damien stood to walk down the hallway when Logan called for Damien. Virgil smiled to himself and went on ahead at his brother’s word. As he walked down the hall alone, he thought about what had just happened. It was his first day at school and he had somehow made more friends than he had in his thirteen years in Silverton. His mind wandered between each new face he had met.

Patton, a friendly, cute boy who seemed to be the leader of the group. Remy, a somewhat mysterious yet humorous character who, Virgil noticed during lunch, cared a lot for his friends. Roman, an eccentric and loud yet extremely talented boy. Emile, caring, sweet, and a huge nerd. And finally, Logan, a prodigal boy who took shit from no one. It was such a varied group, yet they all seemed to get along so well. Even those who fought never seemed to hold it against each other. And now Virgil was part of that. He almost squeaked out loud in excitement.

 

The day went by smoothly, Virgil and Damien having to introduce themselves in almost every class excluded. Quite a few of their classes had members of the council in them, making them far more enjoyable. 

When the bell rang to end the day, Virgil was in an upbeat mood. He could sense that Damien was too. Then he remembered.

“Hey, Dee, what did Logan want to ask you?”

“He was wondering if everyone could come over tomorrow to talk about prom outfits. Prom’s in three months, you know,” Damien looked so excited Virgil couldn’t say no. He didn’t like how soon it was that these people he barely knew wanted to come to his house, but he decided to go through it for Damien. For one thing, he was getting tired of having to hear about his brothers many complaints about being single, and anything that could help stop that would be wonderful. “Oh, and also,” Damien added, “Patton said he wanted to talk with me one on one,” Damien added, a hint of concern in his voice.

“Maybe he just wants to talk to you about this group thing. It seems weirdly professional for a highschool friend group, and he seems to be the leader figure,” Damien nodded at his brother’s words.

“I hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm honestly not too sure where I'm going with this story. I have a vague idea, but nothing too specific. If you're enjoying it, please let me know so I know to write more! Also, sorry if some of the things make no sense, I honestly don't write very often, so I'm not too used to it :')


	3. Twin Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil is still kind of worried about his brother, but he decides it's none of his business. In the mean time, they talk to their mom about all things first-day-of-school related.

Once Virgil and Damien arrived back at their house, they both headed for their separate rooms. Virgil threw himself down on his bed. The soft mattress quickly removed the ache in his back. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had a text notification. He unlocked his phone and quickly glanced over the message. It was from Patton. They had all exchanged contact information at lunch, so this was expected. It seemed he and Damien had been added to a group chat.

Patton: Hey! This is the group chat for the friend group. We can use this to organize tomorrow

Virgil was about to start typing when the pop up showed at the bottom of the screen to say that Emile was typing. It quickly changed to the “several people are typing”. Virgil had always hated group chats for this very reason. He felt annoying if he was texting too frequently, and he got nervous if multiple people were typing. He had, however, told himself that he would try to put his nerves aside as best he could now that he was in a new place. 

Emile: Welcome to the squad :)

Roman: Greetings, friends!

Remy: Hey, glad to have you here. 

Remy: Just a warning, this chat can be pretty cursed

Patton: In the best way, though!

Virgil: Thanks guys, im usually not good at group chats but ill try

Emile: Remember not to feel pressured! We understand if you end up lurking

Virgil: :)

Damien: Hey buddy chum pals! So, when do y’all wanna come over tomorrow?

Virgil was always surprised by how quickly his brother became friendly with people. They had known each other for a day, and he was already calling them “buddy chum pals”. It wasn’t really a problem usually, but sometimes it ended up getting Damien into some pretty toxic situations. Virgil really wished his brother would be more careful. 

Patton: Hmm… maybe after school? So around 4?

Damien: That’s okay with us, what about everyone else? 

Roman: Logan says it’s fine with him, and I’m okay with it too

Remy: Chill with me

Emile: I’m also fine with that

Damien: Okay, so we’re all in agreement! Cool

Damien: Well, Virgil’s at my door so I better go. he wants to talk ;)

Virgil: You stinky man youre disgusting shut up

Remy: jaklds;fjakl;sjdxomg!!!

Everyone said their goodbyes and Damien opened his door. 

“So, what do you want, peasant?” Damien asked, with mock suspicion. Virgil looked at him, an eyebrow cocked. Damien made a face before signalling for Virgil to enter his room. “Welcome to my domain. My dam.. dami… damain,” Virgil scoffed at his bad joke.

“I wanna talk to you about Logan,” Virgil looked up at his brother, who rolled his eyes so far back they looked like they were going to fall out.

“What is there to talk about? Please don’t try to get involved,”

Virgil was a little hurt at that. “I just wanna make sure nothing bad happens to you. We barely know these people, and we don’t know if Logan is with anyone, or if he even likes boys,” Damien huffed.

“That’s none of your business, though,” Damien said. He wasn’t usually this defensive, and it kind of worried Virgil. He looked at his brother and noticed his face soften slightly. “Sorry, it’s just… I know we just met, but I really like him,” 

“Nah, it’s fine, I know I need to be less protective, but I care about you,” 

“And for the record, I wasn’t planning on acting on my feelings any time soon. I know it’s probably bad to confess my undying love for a boy before knowing anything about him,” Damien said. His voice still had a hint of disappointment, but Virgil chose to ignore it. “Sit,” Damien had walked over to the bed and was patting a spot next to him.

Virgil plopped down on the bed, thinking about how glad he was that arguments with his brother barely ever lasted. They used to fight all the time, to the point where it was a problem, but in middle school they started being there for each other more because of the shift in environment. Virgil smiled at the thought. Then he noticed Damien looking at him expectantly. 

“What?” 

“Well, who do you think is cute? We’re twins, we’re supposed to talk about these things!”

Virgil felt his face heat up, and he was sure Damien would notice. “Did you even hear what I just told you? I don’t wanna get attached to anyone!” 

“You don’t have to be attached to think someone’s cute, you just have to have eyes,” Virgil sighed. His brother always was a romantic, and he always had tried to make Virgil act the same way. Though, now that he was thinking about it, Virgil really did find some of them cute. Actually they were all pretty attractive in their own ways. 

Damien looked at how his brother’s features changed while he thought. 

“Who ya thinking about, Virgil?” He said with a wry smile. Virgil gave him a shove and pulled up his hood, before finally giving in.

“Well, I’d be lying if I didn’t say they’re all quite… appealing… in their own way,” Virgil pulled on his hoodie strings and Damien laughed. 

“Okay, kiss marry kill, Roman, Remy, and Logan. Choose your words carefully, brother, for I am always watching,” Damien was trying to put on a menacing face, but kept laughing at Virgil’s flushed complexion. 

“Um… I don’t wanna kill any of them! Fine, kiss Remy because the boy’s looking fine…” Damien laughed loudly at this. “Kill Logan, because I don’t wanna steal him from you,” Damien nodded approvingly, which Virgil found kind of weird, considering what he had just said. “And that leaves me marrying Roman. Now you, kiss marry kill, Patton, Emile, and Remy. No Logan for you,” 

“Oh, easy. Marry Patton, kiss Emile, kill Remy. Patton’s already a dad, I would feel horrible if I killed Emile, and Remy just ain’t my type, no offence,” Virgil nodded. That’s exactly what he would have chosen. Maybe not for the same reasons in the Remy department, but... 

The two continued to banter for a while until they heard a knock on the bedroom door. Virgil knew it was their mother, as it tapped out the familiar rhythm she always made. The door swung open and it was, in fact, their mother. 

“Hey, guys! How was your first day of school?” She asked, smiling.

“Awesome, you won’t even believe what happened!” Damien said, a bit too excited in Virgil’s opinion.

“Well, I was wondering if you two wanted to go get sushi as a first day of school gift. You can tell me about you awesome day then,” Virgil and Damien both nodded enthusiastically, quickly putting on their shoes and getting into the car. 

The drive to the restaurant mostly involved a debate over who should get the aux cord, but in the end Damien reigned victorious. So the rest of the journey was Virgil and Damien bopping to show tunes while their mother tried not to crash the car. They arrived at the restaurant right at the end of When He Sees Me. 

Entering the restaurant, Virgil immediately noticed how ambient it was. There were a bunch of glowing signs on the walls and the lights overhead were a dim purple color. All he could think about was the amount of photos Damien was about to take. They were quickly seated and given a menu. Damien immediately nudged Virgil and pointed to the rainbow roll, muttering “could be gayer” under his breath. If there was a camera anywhere, Virgil would have looked at it The Office style.

They all figured out what they were going to order and began conversation. 

“So, what happened today that’s got you guys so excited?” Their mom asked, a smile on her face. Damien filled her in quickly, talking at speeds Sonic would be envious of. Their mom just smiled and nodded, making surprised noises when appropriate.

“So basically, tldr, we’re in with the cool kids now, Mom! And we’re gonna make them clothes!” Virgil was having second thoughts about it, but hearing the pure excitement in Damein’s voice really made him feel like he couldn’t back out now. “So can they all come over tomorrow? Because I already told them they could but...”

“Of course! I’d love to meet your cool new friends,” 

The waitress appeared. She took their orders (Damien ordered for Virgil. He always did this and Virgil was eternally grateful) and left to prepare their meals.

“Oh, also,” Virgil added into the conversation with a smirk, “Deedee has a crush on someone now,” Damien immediately hit Virgil in the arm and made a squeaky noise but didn’t deny it.

“Oooooh, who is it!? Is it one of your new friends? Tell me the details, Virgil!” Virgil laughed. He knew this was how their mom would react. 

“Mmmmhmmm, he’s also Dami’s partner for our language arts project,” His mom ooooh-d and Virgil couldn’t contain a laugh. Damien was now laying face down on the table, repeatedly karate chopping Virgil’s leg. “I won’t tell you his name, I do have a shred of loyalty towards my brother. But I’m pretty sure you’ll figure out which one it is tomorrow. Dee ain’t subtle about it,” 

Luckily for Damien, their food arrived before any more embarrassment could fall upon him. Virgil and their mom were still giggling occasionally and when Damien asked what was funny they would say something about his crush. Damien hated it but loved the attention. It didn’t stop him from having a good time and enjoying his food, at least. 

They finished their meals and went home. By now it was late, and everyone wanted to be in bed. 

“Dearest brother, do you think you can handle sleeping in your own room tonight?” Damien asked sweetly. Virgil rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t think I’ll miss you,” Virgil retorted, to Damien’s laughing behind him. Virgil slept surprisingly well that night, with only minimal stress-induced scrolling-through-Tumblr-instead-of-sleeping. He was actually excited for tomorrow, and he wanted to get to sleep so it would arrive faster. 

The next morning, he got dressed and went to wake up Damien. He was surprised to see his brother already awake and texting someone on his phone.

“Who ya texting? Is it your boyfriend?” Virgil asked, drawing out the word “boyfriend”. Their mother always said this exact phrase when they were on their phones, and it had become sort of an inside joke. 

Damien looked up at Virgil. “Bitch, where?” He showed Virgil his phone screen. It was Patton. “Remember when he said he wanted to talk to me one on one? Turns out he just wanted to let me know that Logan is majorly emotionally constipated, and that if I wanted him to know how I feel at any time, I have to straight up tell him. I ain’t worried,” 

“Well that was worry over nothing. Good thing you’re not planning on pursuing this right now, right?” Virgil said. Damien nodded, rolling his eyes. “Now get dressed, we have to go,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don't know how to write in a way that sounds like Deciet ^^;;; If it's very out of character, I apologize, just pretend I know what I'm doing. Anyway, sorry it's been like 10 years since the last chapter. I don't have a predictable time when I want to write and I'm kind of busy this summer, so my speed might not improve. Anyway, make sure to let me know what you think in the comments. Thanks for reading the whole thing, see ya!


	4. Unexpected Addition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the day that Roman, Logan, Patton, Emile, and Remy are visiting. That should be enough for Virgil to worry about, but the universe decided that today would be a great day to throw something else at Virgil that he definitely wasn't expecting. He just hoped this new guy wouldn't want an outfit.

School went by agonizingly slow. While Virgil was, of course, incredibly nervous about having people over at his house, he was actually really excited as well. That was hard for him to admit to himself, apparently. He sat in class doodling in his notebook. It was the period before lunch and he was desperately willing the clock to speed up in his head. He felt a tap on his shoulder and swung his head around. It was just Roman. This was one of the only classes he shared with Roman, and the teacher had, thankfully, put them next to each other. He hummed questioningly at Roman.

"I just wanted to warn you that my... brother... is starting school here today. I promise I'll explain more at lunch, but I wanted to warn you before he-" Roman was cut off by the teacher shushing him. He gave an apologetic look to Virgil before returning to his notebook. Welp, that was nice and foreboding. Virgil thought about what Roman had said. Why would Roman need to warn Virgil about his brother? No brother of Roman's could be too bad, right? Virgil wondered why this brother was starting so suddenly. 

Then it sank in. He grabbed a piece of paper from his notebook and wrote "does that mean you're a twin too???" He passed it to Roman as subtly as possible. He watched for Roman's reaction. The other boy grabbed his pencil and wrote. He passed the note back to Virgil.

"Unfortunately for me, yes. He'll be at lunch brace yourself" And that was all Virgil could think of for the rest of class. 

The bell finally rang and Virgil immediately stood to try to get to lunch as fast as possible. He and Roman were usually the last there, but he didn't want to be late this time. His nerves were insane as he thought about meeting another person. If Roman's brother also wanted an outfit, Virgil figured he would just shut down. When he got to the table, he had to admit the scene was not what he had expected. 

There was, in fact, a new person at their table. Virgil wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying, but he was talking very animatedly. Everyone else at the table seemed almost disgusted, but in a way that it was evident they knew how to deal with it. Virgil noticed that Damien looked hooked on whatever this guy was saying, though he did have a sour expression on his face. Logan was the first to speak up once Virgil and Roman were within talking distance. 

"Roman. I believe you failed to inform us that Remus would be here today," So his name was Remus. Virgil could hear what he was talking about now. It seemed he was speaking in extreme detail about some obscure serial killer. And when I say extreme, I mean extreme. Virgil almost outwardly groaned at the words coming out of Remus's mouth. 

"I'm so sorry, he wasn't supposed to attend until next week, but there were complications. This was the only way it worked out. I kind of forgot to text you guys."

Remus stopped whatever he was saying to start talking to his brother. "How could you forget about your dear brother? Such rudeness, such coldness!" He suddenly started laughing. 

"What are you laughing- You know what, on second thought, please don't tell me. Why don't you make different friends? None of us want you at this table," 

"Gasp! But... but I thought you'd want to introduce me to your new boyfriend! I've heard so much about him!" Virgil went red in the face. Was Remus referring to him as Roman's boyfriend? And why had he "heard so much about him"? Virgil glanced up at Roman, who looked furious.

"He's not my boyfriend, and I'm quite sure he wants nothing to do with you!" 

"It's fine, Roman, we know how to ignore him. Virgil and Damien need to get used to him eventually, so it might as well be now," Emile spoke up. Virgil was extremely confused now. He decided to let the information settle in his brain before asking questions, so he told Roman quietly that he was going to get in the lunch line. Roman nodded. Remy, Damien, and Patton got up to go with Virgil, since they hadn't gotten their food either yet. 

"Pardon my French, but who the fuck is that?" Damien asked. 

"Roman's twin brother, Remus. He's... a lot to handle, but you can't really make him go away once he's there. The best thing to do is ignore him. When you treat him like he has no power over you, he gets bored, I think," Patton sighed.

Remy nodded, adding "It's weird, but I've warmed up to him in a sort of 'I hate you but there's a disgusting thrill to being around you' kind of way. Is that a normal person feeling?" 

"Well, whatever his deal is, he better not be planning on coming to our house today. I think Virgil would faint." Virgil was, admittedly, looking paler than usual. It wasn't primarily because of Remus, thought that was definitely part of it. He was also just having a strong-anxiety kind of day. 

"Believe me, babes, Roman will do everything in his power to stop Remus from getting anywhere near your house today. We probably won’t even have to deal with him all that often. If they put me in detention for the kind of things I say, he’s gonna be in in-school suspension a whole lot," Remy reassured the twins. They got their food and headed back to their table. As they approached they noticed that Logan and Remus were in a heated debate about something. Remy turned and whispered something to Patton. Patton made a face of disgust back at Remy, but nodded. When Logan noticed that the group was returning to the table, he immediately turned away from Remus and back to his book.

Virgil looked at the other faces around the table. Emile was obviously trying to ignore whatever was being said before Logan had disengaged from the conversation by furiously writing something in a small, blue notebook. Roman was stabbing a bread roll that Emile had given him with a pocket knife. How did he get a knife into school, and why was no one asking about it? Logan's face was red with anger and, though he was looking at his book now, Virgil noticed that his eyes weren't moving. He wasn't actually reading. As for Remus, he was laughing hysterically again. Geez, this guy must really not know how to read a room.

"Oh, hello again, friends!" Remus greeted the returning group. Roman looked up from his bread roll and opened his mouth to speak. He seemed to think better of it, though, and looked down again. Virgil tentatively sat in an empty seat next to Roman. 

“Umm… What were you guys talking about?” Damien asked. Logan cleared his throat and brought his book closer to his face.

“Oh! Glad you asked! We were talking about you, actually!” Virgil immediately sat up straighter. “Oh, don’t worry, emo, it was all good things. It’s kinda funny, actually, we were talking about how Logan can’t-”

“Hey, can we switch seats?” Virgil asked Roman. Damien was on Roman’s other side. 

“Uh, sure, I guess. And by the way, ignore everything he says. Most of it isn’t even true.” Roman’s face looked so concerned and apologetic. Virgil felt really bad. Nonetheless, he switched seats with Roman. He grabbed Damien’s hand and whispered in his ear.

“Dami, I don’t know what his deal is, but I instantly don’t like him. I want you to ignore everything he says about any of us. Especially about you.” Damien nodded in agreement and Virgil sighed in relief. His brother was a lot more resilient than he gave him credit for, and he really was able to fend for himself. Sometimes it was hard for Virgil to remember that. Virgil had a really bad feeling about whatever it was Remus had been saying about Damien, though. He would ask Logan later. He needed to know for his own sake.

The bell that signified the end of lunch rang and Virgil thanked any god that may exist. That was one of the most awkward things he’s ever sat through, and that’s saying a lot. The rest of the school day went by with a lot of worry and a lot of thought, but Virgil made it through. The final bell rang and everyone was finally able to go. 

Virgil spotted Logan in the hall and called him over to his locker quickly.

“Logan, what was Remus saying about Damien?” Logan looked incredibly uncomfortable, but Virgil needed to know. 

“I would really rather not go into details,” Logan said, but, noticing the intense concern on Virgil’s face, added, “but I will let you know that it was something rather… inappropriate… at the expense of me and him.” 

Virgil felt his anger swell. Did this dude really think he could talk about Damien like that and Virgil wouldn’t find out? Logan, noticing Virgil’s sudden anger, quickly tried to defuse it.

“Virgil, I would seriously advise against confronting Remus. I can promise you nothing you say will stop him from saying things like this. As unfortunate as it is, it is standard that when he’s around that things like that will be said. You won’t have to see him often, but when you do, please try to ignore him. As someone who has had experience with Remus’s… ways, I promise it is the ideal way to deal with him.” Virgil agreed. But only for now. If this Remus guy ever did anything past speaking about his brother, there would have to be consequences. 

But for now, Virgil decided to forget about what a weird day this had been. Everyone was coming over and he had promised himself and Damien that he was going to have a good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An alternate title: Me desperately trying to fit Remus in somewhere. Seriously though, this chapter was pretty fun to write, and I'm having a good time with this story overall. Sorry this chapter was short, I was trying to get it out kind of quickly. But you can look forward to longer chapters later! :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! I know this probably won't get a lot of reads, but I was in a very author-y mood today, so I decided to start a new story. If you like it, there's more where it came from, so be sure to let me know, and I'll write more chapters!


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